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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

So I officially survived Yoga Bootcamp. I wasn't sure what to expect going into the program, and I wasn't sure of what the results might be once I was done. I am so happy with the journey AND the results.
The past few years i've left my hard circuit style training workouts behind. Not forced to do burpees or mountain climbers? Never gonna do them. Well, this all ended once bootcamp started.
For 3 weeks we met 3 times/week. Monday and Wednesday mornings for a 45 minute workout that was sure to leave you dripping with sweat. Focusing on body weight exercises, all you needed was your body and your yoga mat. Okay and maybe a towel. I made a commitment to myself to leave it all on mat. Everything I had, no slacking off. If I was going to do this bootcamp, I wanted to push myself, find my edge. Friday night workouts were all core/yoga nidra. I assumed that meant laying on the floor and doing some crunches/ab work. Nope! Boxing was the core workout that ended up working out my entire body. Amazing workout that prepped me perfectly for yoga nidra afterwards. Complete stillness, honestly I couldn't have moved if I had tried. Exhausting workout that left you feeling strong and empowered.
The first night of bootcamp we got our weight, body fat and body measurements taken. As well as focusing on our body composition, we were graded from 1-10 on 5 yoga postures. Downward dog, chaturanga, wheel, warrior 2 and handstand. Here we learned where our strengths and weaknesses were and where we could work to make our yoga postures stronger. I had a goal during this program: Get better at handstand. I've always been scared of handstand, and always imagine myself falling on my face. I decided I was going to do 5 handstands against a wall every day and that eventually I would be able to hold myself up in handstand without the support of the wall.
I finished up my 3 weeks feeling much stronger and more capable. My yoga classes had an increased sense of ease, being able to transition in and out of poses better. I had my post-bootcamp meeting where we would be remeasured and try the poses again to see if we had improved.
Very shocked with the results, especially seeing that it was such a short period of time. 21 days, and amazing results.

Lost 1.5" from my waist

Lost 2.75" from my abdomen

Lost .5" from my upper arm

Lost .75" from my hips

Lost .5" from my thigh

Lost 3.3% body fat

Lost 3.2lbs

Lost 5.2 lbs of fat

gained 2 lbs of muscle

I'm so happy with the results and bootcamp showed me the amount of intensity I need to add to into my routine. It doesn't need to be a long grueling workout but a quick 45 minute heart pumping workout in addition to my yoga practice seemed to be a great combination for me.
And my yoga poses? They all improved, and.... I can do a handstand!!

I highly recommend Charm City Yoga's bootcamp, and will definitely be re-enrolling in the future. Amazing program to take part in! Thanks CCY and Todd :)

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Hi all!
I have officially signed up for Yoga Bootcamp at Charm City Yoga. It starts March 8 and I'm so excited to get started.
For me personally, i've never felt better or more in shape than when i've combined yoga and weight training. For years I tried to make myself love running. Races after races, and even completed a half marathon. My big goal was complete, and I couldn't be happier to not have to put those running shoes back on. I hated running and I wanted to do workouts that I loved. Here and there when the weather is a perfect 68 degrees and sunny i'll want to go on a run. But it's a 20 minute around the neighborhood jog and i'm all set. Other than that, i'll stick to the weight room and yoga studio.
I started getting into weight training with my boyfriend about 2 years ago. He helped me with the foundations, and I quickly picked it up. I needed a schedule, and exactly what weights to use. I begin Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 program and it quickly helped build strength and become more toned. Exactly what I was hoping for.
I believe that women are nervous of "bulking up" or "getting big" if they lift weights. Lifting heavy weights gives your muscles definition, tightens everything up. Compound exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench press really have proved to be most efficient in my workouts. Gaining strength has helped tremendously in my yoga practice as well. My chaturungas are so much easier, side planks are actually enjoyable. I want to continue to get stronger so that I can eventually get up to a handstand and forearm stand. These are my goals, and I believe I can get there.
Yoga Bootcamp is going to be an amazing tool because you are assessed on yoga postures and then strength train to make those postures better. I think it's going to make a huge difference it'll be exciting to see before and afters. We get our body fat measured before and after bootcamp is over so i'll be able to see exactly how the program affected my body. 3 weeks of training, 3 times a week. Keep you guys posted!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Hellllo! Yoga playlist #2 for everyone. In RAVENS colors :) It does look a litttle blue, but I swear it's purple.

Also, in more yoga news... I have picked up another class! I will be teaching the Monday night community vinyasa class in Federal Hill at 8:30. Community classes are awesome because they're only $6! It will be fun for me to have both a night and morning class because I can have such a variety in my sequences. The morning is a little slower, waking you up and warming up the body. The music is less intense (but just as good) and in the night class I can have a quicker paced flowing sequence, and can throw in some really fun fast paced songs. So hopefully you guys can make it to one or both of my classes!
Above i've added a tab that will link you to my yoga schedule page. Day, time, location all there.

Thanks for all the continued support, and am excited each and every day that I get to share this love I have for yoga with Baltimore.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

I love making playlists, and having a yoga class is the perfect reason to keep searching and finding new music. If you have any songs that you love leave a comment below. I'd love to know what you songs you're currently playing too :)

Saturday, January 12, 2013

I have officially taught my very own yoga class. Can you see my smile through the computer screen? It's there, and big.

I am teaching a Tuesday morning Rise & Shine yoga class at the midtown studio at Charm City Yoga. It's an hour class from 6:30-7:30 and the perfect way to start your day. So there I was early Tuesday morning at 5:45 sitting at the desk, antsy because my first class was about to start. What if no one showed up? Well, 5 of my friends had said they were coming so I knew I wouldn't be the only one there. Turns out 11 people showed up, and as they sat in the classroom, I walked up to the front of the room beaming. SO proud to have gotten to this moment. So excited to be able to share what I love with others.

As soon as I greeted my class my nerves melted away surprisingly. I didn't stumble, I didn't have an awkward pause. All of the practice and studying I had been doing had paid off. The class went by so quickly, and before I knew it I was leading the class down to their backs for Savasana. As they laid there calm and quiet, I sat on my mat grateful. All of my hard work paid off, and I am officially... a yoga teacher.